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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 25, 2010

What are your thoughts on the U.K.'s new coalition government?

Gareth Pughe, 56EditorIt is either doomed to failure and there will be another election within the year, or it will break the mold for British politics, and that would be a good thing.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2010

Usual tension turns perilous

Northeast Asia has entered a tense and dangerous period. The South Korean government's conclusion that North Korea was responsible for the sinking of one of its navy vessels demands a response. Neither Seoul nor any government can afford to ignore such blatant aggression. But Pyongyang has said any action...
Japan Times
LIFE
May 23, 2010

Ibaraki's hidden lure

Whether tourist or resident, anyone looking for a short trip out of Tokyo, but still within the surrounding Kanto region, has plenty of varied options.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 23, 2010

What's a rogue gusher when you never had a cherry tree anyway?

Fingerpointing, dear reader, has been elevated to an art. Halliburton is pointing the finger at BP. Transocean is also pointing the finger at BP. And BP, not to be outdone, is pointing fingers at both Halliburton and Transocean.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 22, 2010

The bright career of a literary 'shadow hero'

American author Paul Auster once called translators "the shadow heroes of literature," who have enabled us to understand that we all live in one world. He could also be describing Juliet Winters Carpenter, 61, one of the best-known literary translators from Japanese to English, who has won praise for...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 22, 2010

The Island of Heavenly Fields

I live next to a heavenly field. So do lots of other people on my island.
JAPAN
May 21, 2010

Former negotiator lays base woes on Okinawa

Every story has more than one side.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 21, 2010

'King' Solomon mines fresh lease on life

After a few relatively lean years, the Japan Blues & Soul Carnival has landed a big fish again in the person of Solomon Burke, a soul legend of the 1960s who is currently enjoying an incredible late-career renaissance, while serving as an inspiration to everybody from Mick Jagger to Joss Stone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2010

'Legion'

"Legion" may not be a great film, but if you wanted to pick one film that was symptomatic of America in the early 21st century, this is it: a movie about angels . . . with machine guns.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 21, 2010

Globally minded director goes native

It's sad but true that Japanese directors with big reputations abroad are often odd men (or women) out back home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 21, 2010

Directing the flow of theatrical creativity

Any time you go to a theater in Japan you are sure to be handed several colorful flyers for other shows — and among them you will almost certainly find the face of Tetsuya Chiba. At 46, and the father of three boys, Chiba is one of the country's most popular and best-known stage actors, known as much...
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2010

Immigrants can buoy Japan

It is not possible to spend more than a few minutes with a Japanese diplomat or scholar without hearing the "C," namely China. Most of them are convinced that the People's Republic is expanding its global influence while Japan's is shrinking. The entire world, and most worryingly Asia, which used to...
COMMENTARY / World
May 20, 2010

Broaden your vision with identity economics

BERKELEY, Calif./DURHAM, N.C. — A great strength of economics is its ability to examine how decisions are made from the point of view of decision makers. For example, economics can explain in this way why consumers buy what they do. It also offers a perspective on why employees work for some employers...
BUSINESS
May 19, 2010

Softbank debuts handsets with Twitter applications

Softbank Mobile Corp. unveiled new cell phones Tuesday boasting applications for the micro-blogging service Twitter.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 18, 2010

Why doesn't national health insurance pay for maternity care?

With high life expectancy and a declining birth rate, you'd think there would be more government money invested in maternity care.
JAPAN
May 18, 2010

I-Fairy robot leads events at Tokyo wedding

Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 18, 2010

Sakurai: a very dapper demagogue

Makoto Sakurai brings to mind that old joke about the man in a pub who says "I'm not racist, but . . . "
COMMENTARY
May 17, 2010

'Honor killings' aimed at suppressing castes

CHENNAI, India — India can be sparkling white and deadly black. While it brags about its scientific achievements, including space exploration and nuclear arms, fancy cars and elite educational institutions, it must hang its head in shame over some heinous, dark-age practices.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 16, 2010

Three-time CL batting king Powell relishing chance to coach Mariners

Congratulations are in order to Alonzo Powell on being named batting coach with the Seattle Mariners last week. As one who played seven years with the Chunichi Dragons and Hanshin Tigers, Powell is well remembered in Japan by fans and friends, and it would not be surprising to see him become a major...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 16, 2010

Globe-trotting Brit sets a new 'Guinness' record for itchy feet

If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing under ludicrously difficult, not strictly necessary, self-imposed rules. Such was the thinking of 31-year-old Graham Hughes when, stewing on the details of a long-dreamed of plot to visit every country on Earth, he decided to add a bit of hot sauce: He would...
JAPAN
May 15, 2010

Carrying on the art of silent film narration

Midori Sawato knows how to act, from princess to samurai to thief — but only with her voice.
JAPAN
May 15, 2010

Housing glut opens door to foreign tenants

As the country's foreign population keeps growing and the declining birthrate and oversupply of housing result in more and more vacancies, it is time for real estate agents to create a more welcoming environment for foreign customers, according to people who work in the business.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2010

A new standard for guilt

In his first trial, 52-year-old Takemitsu Mori was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Osaka District Court for murdering his former daughter-in-law and her 1-year-old son in an apartment in Hirano Ward, Osaka, and then setting the apartment afire in April 2002. In the appellate trial, the Osaka High...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 15, 2010

Are we Kobo Daishi freaks?

"You're wearing a Kobo Daishi T-shirt," the Buddhist priest observed.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear